RICHARD EDEN: Why Carole and Michael Middleton’s support for Kate is vital for the future of the monarchy

While many men prefer a night out with their friends at the weekend, Prince William was spotted with his mother-in-law at a pub in Norfolk on Saturday.

It is a reflection of their bond that William is now more often seen with Carole Middleton than with old friends such as Guy Pelly or the Van Cutsem brothers.

The Prince of Wales always seems happy to have Carole staying with his family and I hear she did just that over the Easter holidays.

The Middletons arrive for the christening of their grandson Prince Louis in 2018

The Waleses will have been particularly pleased to have Carole and her husband, Mike, by their side at Anmer Hall, their retreat on the Sandringham Estate, while Catherine, 42, undergoes treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.

Not only can they help care for the children, George, ten, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five, but they will no doubt also provide personal reassurance for their daughter.

William’s ability to carry out royal duties – while his father also battles the disease – is a testament to the support the Middletons provide.

In fact, it becomes clear that Catherine’s parents are as important to the future of the monarchy as the Windsors themselves – and, in my opinion, deserve some formal recognition for their work.

Their active support gave William the confidence to continue with royal engagements before Easter, for example, and he will do so again when the children return to Lambrook School next week.

It is said that Carole helped with the school run in January while the princess was recovering from what was described as “major abdominal surgery.”

All three children live in Lambrook, Berkshire, 15 minutes from Adelaide Cottage, the family’s home in Windsor – and just half an hour’s drive from Bucklebury, where the Middletons live.

William has, of course, played his full role as husband and father, as Catherine acknowledged in last month’s moving video message to the nation.

“I am doing well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirit,” she said.

“Having William by my side is also a great source of comfort and reassurance.”

However, the princess could just as easily have been talking about her parents.

It was no surprise that when Catherine was photographed in a car in Windsor a few weeks ago, it was her mother who was driving.

Doting dad William comforts a young George as his in-laws, the Middletons, look on in 2015

William’s increasing dependence on his in-laws is a natural progression.

Part of Catherine’s appeal has always been the strength of her family relationships, with her parents and also with siblings Pippa Matthews, 40, and James Middleton, 36.

Recall that the prince first met Catherine just a few years after the death of his own mother, Princess Diana.

As romance blossomed in the years that followed, Carole became a mother figure to him.

I still remember the shocked reaction when it was announced that William would be spending Christmas 2011, the first after their wedding, at the Middletons’ home rather than at Sandringham with the royal family.

Women who had previously married into the Windsors, such as Sophie Rhys-Jones, now the Duchess of Edinburgh, were expected to give priority to the royals at all times.

It would have been unthinkable for Sophie or Sarah, Duchess of York, to spend Christmas Day with their own parents.

But the Middletons were different – ​​and remain so to this day.

As Catherine takes time to overcome her health problems, the magnitude of the role they play has never been clearer.

And that’s why I believe it’s time for Carole and Michael – she a former flight attendant and he a former flight coordinator – to be given titles that reflect their importance.

As their friend, magnate Sir John Madejski, said to me over a decade ago: ‘They should be the Earl and Countess of Bucklebury, or something like that.

‘They deserve it. They are great people and very good role models.’

Who could disagree with that?

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